Son-Biased Sex Ratios in the 2000 United States Census
Son-biased sex ratios in the 2000 United States Census Douglas Almond*† and Lena Edlund*‡ *Department of Economics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025; and †National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 Edited by Ronald Lee, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved March 3, 2008 (received for review January 24, 2008) We document male-biased sex ratios among U.S.-born children of Whites Chinese, Korean, and Asian Indian parents in the 2000 U.S. Census. 2.0 This male bias is particularly evident for third children: If there was Mean and 95% CI boundaries no previous son, sons outnumbered daughters by 50%. By con- trast, the sex ratios of eldest and younger children with an older brother were both within the range of the biologically normal, as 1.50 were White offspring sex ratios (irrespective of the elder siblings’ sex). We interpret the found deviation in favor of sons to be 1st Child 2nd 3rd evidence of sex selection, most likely at the prenatal stage. 1.05 sex-selective abortion ͉ son preference Sex ratio (male/female) he ratio of male to female births exceeds the biological norm n=493,446 139,473 149,103 20,682 34,238 22,942 Tof 1.05 (1) in a number of Asian countries, notably India (2, n.a. Girl Boy Girl,Girl Mixed Boy,Boy 3), China (4, 5), and South Korea (6, 7). Availability of prenatal sex determination and induced abortion have been identified as Chinese, Koreans and Asian Indians important factors (3, 8), to the point of the former being 2.0 (ineffectively) banned in India and China.
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